eBay
Very Rare and simply fantastic, Lot of 7, original, ca1890 Indian War Period, Snapshot-type Photographs of U.S. 10th Cavalry and 24th Infantry African American Buffalo Soldier Troops with Native American Indian Scouts and Indian Police in New Mexico. This amazing group of seven, wonderful, original, unmounted Photographs each measure approximately 4 1/2" x 3 1/2" and the fourth measures approx. 5 1/4" x 3 5/8". They appear to have been taken with an amateur camera. The Photos are printed on Velox paper in sepia tone and while each of the Images has a number scratched in the negative, only one is identified with a period, inscription that reads "New Mexico / Indian Views".


    With this minimal amount of identification combined with a detailed examination of the content of the Photographs and extensive historical research, we have been able to uncover quite a bit about the views included in this group. It is obvious that all of the Images were taken with the same camera, by the same person and on a single roll of film. The Photos are identified with numbers ranging from 3 to 27 (one of the Photos is unnumbered) and the numbers appear to have been scratched onto the original film roll by the photographer who was using some sort of "Autographic" Camera.


    We have included numerous and detailed scans of the Photographs below and will not undertake a detailed description of each image. Three of the Photographs (Numbered 26, 27 and unnumbered) depict African American Cavalry Soldiers on horseback in the hills of New Mexico. It is one of these Images that is titled "New Mexico Indian Views". One of these Photographs includes the Unit's Cavalry Guidon as can be seen in the scans below.


    Three of the remaining four Photographs feature images of African American Buffalo Soldiers, white officers and Native American Indian Scouts and/or Indian Policemen (these are numbered 3, 9 and 21). Two of these include officers that we believe to be Colonel Zenas Randall Bliss, Commanding Officer of the 24th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers) and recipient of the Congressional medal of Honor and Colonel John K. Mizer, Commanding Officer of the 10 Cavalry Regiment (United States Buffalo Soldiers). The seventh Photograph depicts a supply wagon with white officers and Buffalo Soldiers in the rear.


     Beginning with the information that these images of Buffalo Soldiers were taken in New Mexico and with a date range of the late 1880's to the 1890's (established by the format of the Images themselves) we were able to discover that while no Buffalo Soldiers served in New Mexico between 1881 (long before these Images were taken) and 1887. In 1887 the 10th Cavalry under Colonel Mizer was moved from Arizona to new headquarters in Santa Fe. Four units of the 10th Cavalry along with eight companies of the 24th Infantry were stationed at Fort Bayard near Silver City where they served until 1896. The 24th Infantry was led by Colonel Zenas R. Bliss, who had served with distinction in the Civil War. Unlike some other White officers, Bliss was not prejudiced against his Black troops. He often praised their work in his reports and tried to protect their interests.


     With the Apaches no longer raiding, the buffalo soldiers under Bliss played a role in maintaining the peace during this period, going on frequent scouting expeditions to investigate minor incidents. Among their final duties in New Mexico was the closing and dismantling of Fort Selden in 1891 and Fort Stanton in 1896, an indication of the peaceable conditions now reigning in the territory. Here ended the role of the buffalo soldiers in New Mexico in the Indian Wars of the nineteenth century.


    We believe that the format of the Photographs as well as the portraits of the Officers included in the Photographs identify the Soldiers pictured as members of the 10th Cavalry and 24th Infantry of Buffalo Soldiers along with various Native American Indians associated with these units.


    These wonderful, ca1890 U. S. Buffalo Soldier and native American Indian Photographs are in excellent condition. The images are all sharply focused with strong contrast and rich tonality. The photographs are clean and crisp and exceptionally well preserved. The backs of each of the Images have some amounts of paper adhesions attesting to the fact that they were previously affixed to album pages.


    A VERY RARE and historically important Lot of (7), ca1890 Snapshot-type Photographs of U.S. 10th Cavalry and 24th Infantry African American Buffalo Soldier Troops with Native American Indian Scouts and Indian Police in New Mexico and a fantastic addition to any collection!!!


    Please note: These are original,ca1890 Photographs. They are not reprints, reissues, reproductions or modern images. There were printed at the time the Photographs were taken in the late 19th century and our original, antique Images.


Overseasshippping is extra and cost will be quoted at bidders request. Massachusetts residents must add 5% sales tax.



Please check out other early and interesting items offered by this seller on ebay. Click Here to See Our Items We Have for Sale in the eBay Gallery and Click Here to Add Us To Your Favorite Sellers List




Click Here to Discover More About this Item and Many Others on Our New Informational / Non-Commercial / Reference Blog - Walnutts.com.


Important Notes about Shipping Charges:

The amount quoted for Shipping & Handling is calculated by eBay and is equal to the EXACT amount charged by the Post Office plus a $1.00 "packing fee" - the $1.00 fee is our only compensation for the virgin packing materials we use on all of our professionally packaged boxes as well as our cost for the salaried help that does most of our packing - as I am sure you can see, we make NO profit on the Shipping charges and, in fact, our costs are usually greater than the $1.00 fee. Please contact us if there are any issues regarding the cost of shipping.



Powered by eBay Turbo Lister
The free listing tool. List your items fast and easy and manage your active items.